I know this is a revival of an old thread -
Bar Harbor has one just on the edge of the core business district held on Sundays in the YMCA parking lot (while the Y is closed so it's a great shared use) and a new one started up in a parking lot off the Village Green for Wednesdays.
The one that just started up was started, pardon the pun, organically, by the farmer's themselves to expand their market - so yeah, I continue to be spoiled that markets create themselves here
the one that just started up, however, is a little more of a feisty bunch - so this is my question to pose -
farmer's markets are allowed by right, that is, they only need a building permit; however their shared parking agreements are approved administratively by the Planning Board (no public hearing, no long wait for permits) - this irritates the farmer's to no end because they feel it is un-supportive to their needs :-o
what's happening with this group now is they are meeting this afternoon with our Parks and Recreation Committee to try to change the policy (and thus the Code) restricting the use of the Village Green and allowing the farmer's market to locate on the Green
Now, if anyone has been to Bar Harbor, you know the Village Green - it's a Victorian-like park with the Italian fountain (donated by a wealthy family, imported from Italy, so it's not fake, it's priceless actually) - we do allow twice a year, an "art in the park" show and every Sunday, there is a very quiet (in silence actually) peace rally (which really comes under the rights to assembly) - so, I have heard rumblings of a NFW for the organic farmers plunking themselves down on the Green - I know DPW isn't thrilled because it is a pretty big mess to clean up and the grass and plantings are pretty delicate
the pending comp plan has language lending support to famer's and their practices but is this going too far?
people are still upset that the Island Explorer buses line one and a half blocks of the park, just to let you know general public sentiment has been that this is a pristine little place for Sunday band concerts in the summer and general gathering